The Jackals of Sakhmet II- Finding Lee: Part One

Author's note: Don't have a clue who Lee is? Want to know why she's stuck with
Kasha? Read the series prior to this one, The Jackals of Sakhmet- Kasha's Plot
(issues 210-218) Also, if you have any comments or questions about the story,
feel free to neomail me. Thanks for reading!

Darkness… It's like a predator, and anything that moves
is its prey… Lee stood there, rooted on the spot in complete darkness. She could
see nothing but the blackness as thick as tar. Where was she? And why did she
feel lightheaded? She held out a hoof to feel for the slightest sign of life
at all.

"Hello?" she called, her voice ringing out in
the darkness. No one answered. Was she dead? No. There was no way.

"Hello?" she called again. Answer came there
none. But something else happened, despite however strange it was. A thin sliver
of light fell upon Lee's face, so thin, that it was no bigger than the tip of
her horn. The light gradually became bigger, and bigger, and bigger still, until
she was standing in the middle of the Lost Desert. She was greeted by nothing
but large piles of sand and the blazing sun. It looked like the Lost Desert,
it smelt like the Lost Desert…but it didn't feel like the Lost Desert. It didn't
feel like home…

Further in the distance, Lee could see two small
figures waving and calling to her. Who were they? She squinted at them, but
it was not necessary, for they soon became clearer. They looked like mirages
from this far away. It was then that Lee recognized them for who they were.
Two thirteen year-old pets, a Wocky and a Cybunny, were waving to Lee, calling,
"Lee, c'mon! Let's go!"

For once, Lee smiled, starting towards them.

"Cole, Omar, wait up!" she called back, running
as fast as her feet would allow. Was it her, or did they seem to be getting
smaller with every step? No! It couldn't be! They were becoming farther and
farther away every time she took a step!

It was too late. They both had vanished and
Lee found herself stuck in the darkness once more. She could see nothing but
the blackness as thick as tar. She was all alone again, all alone… Lee let out
a frustrated yell and fell to her knees; she pounded the ground with her fist,
shutting her eyes as to not let the tears flow. But it didn't help. It didn't
help one bit.

As she sat there, sad and lonely, Lee whispered
into the darkness.

"Don't leave me…"

* * *

The Lost Desert-

Presently, someone was shaking Lee, or more
really, the sack she was being dragged away in.

"Quit that whining, child!" snapped Kasha from
the outside. Lee groaned and crossed her arms, which, strangely enough, were
soaked in tears… It had happened again. Every time, every time, Lee had fallen
asleep, she had the same dream. She would be standing in darkness, which would
transform into the Lost Desert, where she'd see Cole and Omar, who would simply
disappear anyway… She'd then be back in darkness, and blah, blah, blah… It was
driving her nuts!

And the fact that she and Kasha had been traveling
for three days didn't help… Where were they heading anyway? Lee was not able
to tell, for she had been tied up in a sack for the whole time. The only time
the sack would open was when Kasha let her breathe in some fresh air, but that
was it.

"Yes, finally," muttered Kasha, stopping suddenly.
Lee fidgeted, but Kasha paid no notice this time. Something was happening, and
Lee had a feeling it wasn't good. Suddenly, the sack was open, and she was being
yanked out of it by a towering Shadow Tonu. Lee let out a frightened scream.

"I see you've met my little friend," Kasha snickered
at Lee. "Take her to the ship."

Nodding, the Tonu dragged Lee to the ship Kasha
had mentioned. As Lee looked about, she saw that they were on the coast of the
Lost Desert, where tens and tens of ships were anchored all over! The Tonu rudely
dropped Lee on the deck of the particular ship, and then was off. Kasha stepped
on the deck as well, and pulled Lee to her feet. Lee took a look around.

This was a pirate ship all right; you had pirates
cleaning the deck, pirates packing things away, pirates talking secretively
to each other in small little corners.

"What's going on?" Lee whispered.

"We're going for…a little trip, shall I call
it?" Kasha answered with a smirk. "Men!" she shouted to all the pirates on deck.
All eyes were on her, many filled with a mixed emotion of envious admiration.

"I want this ship ready to go within the next
ten minutes!" she continued, still smirking. "All set sails for Krawk Island!"

Lee stood, rooted on the spot, and frozen with
horror. Krawk Island… What could Kasha possibly wan to do on Krawk Island, and
why was she forced to be included?

* * *

The Lost Desert (The Dunes)-

Scarab pounded an angry fist on the table that
stood before him. The Red Hissi that had just delivered some very vital information
to him sat straight and still in front of the Bori, not showing any emotion
whatsoever.

"Let me get this straight," Scarab growled at
him, rubbing his temples in frustration. "You said you saw Kasha boarding a
ship to Krawk Island?"

Scarab glared at the floor, avoiding the Hissi's
eye, and replied, "Krawk Island has a small, secret section where nothing but
caves stands."

The Hissi nodded, still not catching on.

"In those caves," Scarab continued in a level
voice. "In those caves I have set up a variety of tests and traps that will
determine whether or not you can go on to the next cave…they're interlinked,
you see… I've taken Kasha in those caves before, and she knows ways in and out,
what are traps and what tricks are."

"But Ssscarab, I sstill don't underssstand…"
interjected the Hissi but was silenced immediately when Scarab held up his paw.
Scarab continued.

"Those caves, Lucian, are where I hide all of
my Rubite…"

Lucian's eyes widened in horror.

"Now you understand," said Scarab. "If Kasha's
going to Krawk Island, that means she's heading for those caves. She knows her
way inside… You have no idea what she can do with all that Rubite…"

"Whatsss the worssst ssshe can do?"

"Lucian, do you remember how she took control
of all those Cybunnies in Sakhmet a few days ago? She did that because she made
it so the Rubite only works on Cybunnies. It didn't have that much an effect
when implanted in a locket. Rubite alone, even the smallest chunk, can do much
more, even without a core to power it. You can not only control someone's mind,
you can alter it, make them think what you think; you could see what someone
else is thinking; you could make someone forget something if you wanted them
to; you could erase their memory completely…

"You could take total control of their body,
let alone their mind. With all that power, Kasha could have anyone do exactly
what she wanted them to do, make them forget what she wanted them to forget,
make them think exactly what she was thinking… With all that power, Lucian,"
Scarab stared solemnly down at the Hissi. "She could destroy all of Neopia…
and that's with even the smallest chunk…"

"I think…" whispered Lucian. "I think, I underssstand
now… Doesss thisss mean that we are not to go after her anymore?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the little girl, Lee I think, isss
with her. We are ssstill looking for her, yesss?"

"Yes."

"Ssso, that meansss we are to follow Kasssha
to find the girl."

"I suppose," said Scarab, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Lucian?"

"Yesss, Ssscarab."

"Can you deliver one more message for me?"

"But of courssse."

"I need you to deliver a message to two little
friends of mine; they're two little boys by the name of Cole and Omar…"

To be continued...

* * *

It is here, dear reader, that I must put our
story on pause. I'm pretty sure you're tired of seeing * * *, and I'm also pretty
sure that you have many questions as well. Such as, 'When do Cole and Omar actually
come into the story, physically?', or 'Couldn't Scarab destroy the Rubite?',
or 'Can a Weewoo fly?' Yes, I'm sure you have many questions in mind, and I
would so longingly love to tell you all the answers, but you, like everyone
else, must wait. (Although I have no shame in telling you that a Weewoo can
fly…)

Perhaps you remember, dear reader, when Cole
had so many questions he wanted answered as well, but could not find any of
the answers? This is just like that, and if there's one thing no one likes,
it's unanswered questions…but you know that already, don't you?